Parties must appreciate J&K compulsions, say former PMs

20 October 2002The Hindu

NEW DELHI: The former Prime Ministers, V. P. Singh and I. K. Gujral, today expressed disappointment over the delay in the formation of a popular government in Jammu and Kashmir and urged all the political parties to appreciate that the political compulsions in the State were ''radically different'' from what they were in other parts of the country. In a joint statement here, they said ''the days passed since the counting of votes are reviving the widely spread anxiety in the State and the rest of the country. It seems the political outfits — like the legendary Bourbons — have learnt nothing from the decades of painful experiences.'' ''It is the nation''s good fortune that a window of opportunity has been opened. This may not remain so if the political parties and their leaders conduct themselves churlishly. The State urgently needs, more than elsewhere, a focussed governance that does not indulge in capricious pursuits of power. The electorate has voted for a break with the past. Not only in terms of individuals but more with the practices and styles of power politics.''.